Modern Day Growing Pains
by Reianshitsu
Summary: New series, about my characters. Characters do belong to me! - This is what happens when I imagine my characters in this world. Rated M for horrific scenes & violence.
1. Reianshitsu

_**Modern Day Growing Pains**_

_By: ßêrlins Rèîán§hitsü_

_**Well this is a new series I'm starting, it's about my characters. Each chapter will cover a different character and how they play into a modern-type situation. All of my rpcs are universal, and some (Keanu, Taliesin) fit best in a modern situation. Though, there are still things that defy the natural order of things. An example would be Taliesin; he's 13 years old and is a skilled bounty hunter. What are the odds of that in this world?**_

_**Anyway, the whole point is that I want to take my characters out of their own special place in their own special world, and put them in this world. This world that has no mutant powers, no 16-year-old medical examiners/FBI investigators, and no half-demons; this world that's focused on wars and control of other countries while the local good-hearted people are killed by serial killers and impulsive people. No, this is not meant to be commented on and I don't suggest starting anything. Besides, in deep truth, you can't change people's beliefs, you can only influence them.**_

_**Anyway! Onto the stories! I hope you enjoy this series and if you have any suggestions/ideas, please let me know.**_

* * *

Reianshitsu

A loud, distant buzzing filled the ears of a sixteen-year-old named Surira. He was sitting at a desk near his bed, writing a report. He reached over and turned off his 5am alarm without even looking up from his paper. A few moments passed before Surira yawned and stood up. He stretched and walked over to a window directly across from his bed. He moved the curtain aside and looked out into the dark morning.

"Looks like the sun's rebelling," Surira said to himself with a slight laugh. "Oh come on sun, it's time to get up."

Surira walked back over to his desk and picked up his 3-page report. He left his room, dropping the papers into his backpack as he passed it. He walked down the short hall and into the kitchen. He looked around at a seemingly dead house.

His eyes scanned the door at the other side of the house, to the master bedroom where his parents were sleeping. He continued right, to see the front door, then around the square living room he was standing beside. He glanced around the kitchen, walking around the island in the middle of the smaller room. He stepped onto the carpet of the living area and looked down the hall he had just walked down.

Surira shook his head and walked over to the fridge. When he opened it the light started to flash. He quickly shut it and turned around. Behind him was a man, skin burnt away from acid, one eye completely missing. This man reached out toward him with distorted fingers and long sharp nails. Surira ran around him and back to his room, he quickly locked the door.

"Leave me alone! You can't have me!" He ran over beside his bed and picked up a black Bible. He opened it and started reading Revelation.

He read for probably five minutes before he heard someone try the doorknob.

"Surira? Are you in there? Open this door," his father called from the other side.

Surira stopped reading and closed his Bible. He laid it on his bed and opened the door.

"Yes father?" He asked blankly, masking what had just happened.

"Your mother thought she heard you running, did something happen?"

Surira shook his head.

"If you need to see--"

"I don't need to see the psyche again, I'm perfectly fine, must have been sleep walking," Surira informed his father.

His father glanced over at Surira's desk, where the light was on like he'd been up all night. Which wouldn't be surprising, Surira had lately had insomnia.

"Alright well, since we're up you should probably get ready for school," his father said before walking off down the hall.

Surira leaned out and watched him walk away.

"Oh and call me Reianshitsu! I told you that already!" Surira shut his door and looked at the window, where the smallest sign of light was creeping in. He walked over and looked out the window.

"Everyone thinks I'm seeing things… sun why are you the only one who knows? Why do you choose to hide until after he's gone?" Surira asked the rising sun.

Surira sighed and closed the curtain and turned around, where again the man was standing behind him. Surira's eyes widened.

"Wh-who are you?"

The man again reached out with his deformed hand, the light casting a shadow against the wall. When Surira looked at this shadow, he saw the hand of a demon, reaching out to take him.

Surira shut his eyes and called upon God for help. He quoted Scripture for a few seconds then heard the demon-man whisper in his ear.

"They're coming for you… they'll take you… and torture you… they'll kill--"

Just then Surira's father opened the door.

"Surira if you're seeing things again we need to know. I heard you shouting. Who were you shouting at?"

Surira opened his eyes and looked around. The demon-man was gone.

"Son, you're disturbed, from what?"

Surira glanced at his father.

"… It's nothing, and I told you," Surira paused and walked over to his backpack. He put it over his shoulder and looked at his father. "Stop calling me that wretched name, my name is Reianshitsu."

"Surira!"

Surira walked over and picked up his Bible, then simply walked past his father. He left the house, and started walking to school.

"Surira! Get back here!" Surira's father shouted from the porch.

Surira picked up a run.

"Do you think he'll come back?" Surira's mother stood in the doorway, watching her son run away and her husband stand wondering on the porch.

"I don't know…"

* * *

Surira ran all the way to school, and by the time he got there, it's was 20-till school started. He sat down in the school's lawn, and caught his breath.

He thought about not going home. If someone was after him, maybe they'd hurt his family as well. He couldn't go back, it would be the same as killing them himself. The sun had started to rise up into the sky but was covered by dark clouds.

Surira looked up and watched the clouds gather, he saw distant lightning streaks. Then, across the street, he saw a bum, holding a sign. The sign said "They're coming…"

Surira stood up and walked toward the street. A car drove by, when it had past, Surira read the sign again. Now it said "They're coming for you!"

Surira shouted across the street. "Who's coming?"

Another car past, when it was gone, Surira read the sign once again. This time it read "Reianshitsu, run!"

Surira looked at the guy. "How do you know who I am?"

He started to take a step forward but a moving truck sped past him, coming inches from him. Once it had past the man was gone, but the sign was leaning up against a light post. It now read "RUN!"

Surira looked both ways then ran across the street looking for the man. He picked up the sign and saw on the back it said "They're trying to kill you, run before it's too late, don't let him have you"

Surira dropped the sign and looked around. In the school parking lot he saw the two cars and moving truck that almost hit him. He took off running as fast as he could the other way.

Lightning flashed as a man stepped out from behind a building, holding the bum by the neck. The two watched Surira run away. Once he had gone the man turned to the bum and said in a deep, distorted voice.

"He is mine, my dark power will eat away his mind, I'm already nested in his soul."

He twisted the neck of the bum, killing the body. The man dropped the body and looked at the way Surira ran. Lightning flashed again above him, revealing for a moment he was a hellish demon, the when the flash was gone, so was he.


	2. Keanu

_**Modern Day Growing Pains**_

_By: ßêrlins Rèîán§hitsü_

_**Well I think my last chapter went well, sorry if I scared you, I almost scared myself. I can just imagine though, Reianshitsu in this world would be one of those delusional kids who has insomnia, runs away from home, and sees demons. You know? The kind that grow up to either (1) kill themselves (2) kill others (3) wind up in an asylm.**_

_**Which Reianshitsu fits that, at least I think. It was kinda hard writing that though because I'm so used to calling him Reianshitsu, not Surira (his given name at birth). Plus I'm used to him having a bad past where in this story he's seeing things and having a bad present. If you want to know more of what I'm talking about, there's a link on my page to a website where you can read Reianshitsu's real background story.**_

_**This chapter will also be difficult since Keanu originated in this real world, so I'm not completely sure how much I can actually change or not. I have to imagine though that Keanu would be a little more depressed then he actually is. If you only knew how hard it is to write Keanu depressed.**_

* * *

Keanu

Keanu sat at the breakfast table, staring at his plate. His friends were over, two boys setting on either side of him, rambling on about something Keanu didn't care about. Music was all he cared about. Not friends, not life, not family. Music.

Keanu got up and walked out of the kitchen. Everyone stopped and watched him walk into the living room and up the stairs. One friend, who goes by Ethan, reached over and took Keanu's plate. As he started to eat it, his sister, who was sitting beside him, got up and followed Keanu.

She walked up the stairs to the second floor and looked around. She continually called Keanu's name with no answer. Then she heard the sound of a guitar. She walked over to another staircase, and headed up to the attic, where the band played their music.

She heard Keanu singing on the other side. She opened the attic door and stepped up onto the bright Scarlett carpet.

"Keanu?" She asked, interrupting Keanu's song.

He looked up at her. "What is it?"

"You okay? I heard you haven't ate in like three days," Emberlynn asked.

"I'm fine Ember, just not hungry."

"Is this about David? … Or… Her?" Emberlynn's voice lowered with each word.

Keanu picked a few strings on his green, electric guitar.

"I had another dream last night… about her," Keanu spoke softly. "I haven't told David yet."

"Why not? He's your dad, he worries about you." Ember tried to reason with him.

"No he doesn't," Keanu answered, looking down at a piece of paper with the lyrics to his newest song.

"You don't honestly believe that? ... Do you?" Ember paused. "Keanu?"

"I saw you again… in a dream…" Keanu whispered the first few lines on the paper, completely blocking out Emberlynn.

Ember cursed and started to yell at him when Ethan and Shaun, the other boy, walked up into the attic.

"Everything okay up here?" Shaun asked.

Ember looked at Shaun and her brother. "No, he's lost it again," she stated agitatedly.

Keanu walked past them and down the stairs. Stopping at the bottom, he looked back up at them.

"You guys stay here and do whatever, I'm skipping band practice today," he said before walking off.

"WHAT? But we have the concert next weekend!" Ethan yelled from the attic.

* * *

Keanu laid down in his bed, which happened to look like a long box. It was silver, a twin-size, with both ends and the top being boxed in. He had it pushed against the wall so the other side was boxed in as well. He glanced around his room, though his mind was far gone.

His room was painted a dark purple with black trim around the top and bottom of the walls. The back side of his door was painted gray, with a posture of one of Keanu's favorite movies hung up on it. The door was exactly across from his bed, but on the wall behind his head.

Exactly across from him, was a wall covered in pictures torn out of magazines of places Keanu wanted to see. Places he dreamed of touring to. Places like Paris, France and Lima, Peru.

The wall perpendicular to it, the wall with the door, had stacks and stacks of music sheets, broken notes and unfinished song lyrics. In the corner, behind the head of his bed, stood an acoustic guitar.

The wall across from that wall, had two windows evenly spaced but covered by thick dark green curtains, with weird drawings from top to bottom. Keanu opened them sometimes but not as often as suggested.

In between these thick curtains, hung a picture of his parents before he was born, it was the only picture he'd ever seen of his mother. He was thankful his dad never hid anything of her from him, but still, he had to wonder… _Why did she run away?_

There was also a piano against that wall, a pure white one that offset the entire dark feel of the room, it had silver trim. Its keys shown wore and anyone could tell Keanu played it often. On the floor lay a burgundy rug with five different style guitars each a different bright color.

Keanu noted the details of his room while his mind wandered through time and space, lost in a deep sleep, when suddenly there was a sound outside his window. Keanu got out from his bed and walked over to the curtains. He moved them aside and looked out onto the back yard.

A man was standing outside, waving up at him, a mentor, and a friend of Keanu's. Keanu smiled and grabbed a jean jacket. He ran downstairs and out the back door.

"Hey," Keanu paused. "What are you doing here?"

"I had nothing to do so I stopped by to see what you were up to."

Keanu laughed softly. "Well, I'm not doing much, just thinking."

"About?"

"About…. My mom," Keanu answered.


	3. Kaen

_**Modern Day Growing Pains**_

_By: Rèîán§hitsü_

_**Did you like the past two chapters? I liked the first but found Keanu's chapter to be a let down. Anyway, I got this idea about Kaen yesterday. I could just see him being that creepy blind, voodoo kid. Hope you enjoy this!**_

* * *

Kaen

Kaen laid in his bed, listening to his father down the hall. He sounded like he was messing with papers again. Kaen's father was always doing paperwork. Kaen decided he never wanted a job, never wanted anything to do with paperwork, though it didn't really matter. He was blind anyway. His father never expected anymore of him then to lie in bed all day except for the few hours a special teacher came to the house to teach him.

Kaen closed his eyes and listened. His father would never believe it, but Kaen could tell how he was feeling by the way he moved the papers. Tonight his father was upset. He was in distress over something.

_Perhaps his job? _Kaen wondered.

Kaen covers his head with the blanket and curled up in a ball. He laid there trying to block out all the sounds and thoughts of his father for another hour. Then he heard his father walking to his room. Kaen knew he was coming to say goodnight, but deep inside Kaen expected more of him.

His father opened the door and said goodnight to his son, just a simple fragmented sentence of two words. Kaen sighed silently to himself and did not reply. After a few moments he heard the door shut and his father walk down the hall and into his own room.

Kaen sat up as he heard his father's door shut. He reached over and touched the nightstand. Once he had a firm enough grip he stood up and walked over to the door based on memory. He opened the door and, keeping his hands against the wall, he walked down to his father's room. He leaned up against the door and listened.

Inside, his father was pacing, growing more upset by the minute. He was very ticked off, at what though? Kaen wished he knew. Somewhere inside of himself, Kaen felt is was his fault. Maybe if he wasn't so useless, his father would love him. But he had never once heard his father say "I love you". Maybe that's all he wanted, was a simple assurance.

Kaen's mother had died when Kaen was very young. Ever since then Kaen's father had always been cold to him, like he was worthless and a waste of time. Though, even before his mother died, Kaen was still nothing to his father. Probably because of his blindness.

Kaen heard his father lay down and turn the light off. He heard his father talking to himself; he told the air that he missed his wife and his niece (who was off on business). Kaen listened to his father talk to himself a while, then fall into a sleep.

Kaen silently touched the doorknob and started to turn it. Suddenly, he stopped. He let go of the doorknob and stepped back a little bit.

"I love you…" He whispered before walking into the living room. He knew his house by memory so he walked straight over to the door. He pulled a long pink jacket, his mother's old jacket, off the coat rack and slipped it on over his blue pajamas. Then he unlocked the door and left the house.

He walked for a little while, in the middle of the night, managing not to hit anything. He listened closely to the sounds around him, paying attention to every little detail. He knew exactly where he was going, but was still delirious due to the changing surroundings.

After walking a while, he arrived where he wanted to be, a place he came to every other night. This place was simply an open field, near a forest. Kaen walked to the middle of the field, until he stepped onto dirt, passing all the grass. He rolled up his sleeves after taking of his jacket, then he kneeled down in the dirt and started drawing a weird symbol.

The symbol was for the forth night, there was ten nights in his ritual. This particular symbol looked like a man, holding out his arms to the sky, with two tails revealed on either side of him. Once Kaen finish drawing the symbol in the dirt, he bit his hand, making it bleed. He traced the symbol on his left shoulder.

Kaen heard thunder in the distance. A storm was headed his way. Kaen got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach out of nowhere.

_What's going on? _Kaen wondered.

Thoughts passed through his head of why it would be storming now. The TV had said there was not to be rain for weeks. Kaen laid down in the dirt and whispered something beyond understandable.

While he lay in the dirt, he felt the rain hit him. At first it was a light sprinkle, then as the time passed, it started to rain harder. Kaen sat up after finishing his prayer. He grabbed the jacket and put it on. He stood up and walked out of the field, the ground was wet now and slippery. Not to mention Kaen couldn't tell where he was, he knew by the texture of the ground, now its texture was gone.

Kaen wandered, rather then toward home, quite a ways from it. After three, long hours, the rain stopped but a strong wind continued to blow. Kaen found himself in the next town over, though he didn't know it, when he fell to the ground. He knew he was very lost.

He started to cry, as he held his jacket tightly against his small body. He was terrified, not of dying, but of never seeing his father again. Slowly, as the cold air blew against him, lying there in the grass crying, he went to sleep.

* * *

Josais was just about to wake his son up when he heard a knock on the door. Expecting Kaen's teacher, he shouted for Kaen to get up and answered the door.

"Who are you?" Josais asked.

"Sir, are you Josais Xenos? Kaen Xenos' father?"

"Yes, why?"

"He was found the next town over…" The man paused and looked down solemnly for a moment, then looked back up at Josais. "He's—"


	4. Arizou

_**Modern Day Growing Pains**_

_By: ßêrlins Rèîán§hitsü_

_**Okay I've actually been enjoying this series. If I remember right this is the first real series that I've actually followed through. Kaen's chapter was sad, really it was, but I believe Kaen as a whole to be a sad character. He walks through life believing he has no purpose. He has emotions but has turned himself cold so he never shows them and he has had the most love interests of all my characters and none of them he has actually loved. So he's a very sad character.**_

_**Anyway, I got this idea in school, DURING school. So sadly I couldn't write it right then. But I started as soon as I could after school, just couldn't upload it till now. I hope you enjoy this story.**_

_**Oh and just a fore note, skaists means beautiful in Latvian**_

* * *

Arizou

Smoke filled the air as a young high-schooler walked into a moderate sized RV, where modern-day hippies were high on drugs. Bright green, purple, and orange covered the walls and upholstery. The young boy walked over shyly over to the couch and sit down. Just then, someone walked out of the back bedroom.

"Hey man! You came," The man smiled and walked over to the younger boy.

"Arizou, are you serious? You spend all day here?" The boy asked.

"Heck yeah man," Arizou looked around. "Why?"

The young boy shook his head and walked out.

"What's up his butt?" Someone called from the sink.

"Who knows?" Arizou answered.

Arizou walked outside the smoky RV and looked around. It was a bright, sunny day. Arizou's garden not far from here would love this, it had been cloudy lately, a major damper on everyone's moods. Everyone, that is, except Arizou. Arizou was always happy. No matter the weather, no matter the let down, no matter what was happening in the sick world around him, Arizou was happy.

Arizou decided to take a walk to his garden, and check on all his plants. He started off toward his garden. It took him about ten minutes to get there, past all the flat dirt and very few plants. Arizou only dreamed of one thing, getting out of the canyon he lived in.

On a patch of artificial grass set another RV, considerable smaller and painted orange on the outside. Inside it was simply white though, with burgundy trim around the top, and horrible brown cabinets.

Arizou stopped in front of his make-shift home and looks over beside it. Off the artificial grass was the most amazing thing in the desert; a garden. But this garden wasn't just anyone's, it was Arizou's. He smiled for a moment, then walked inside his RV and brought out a radio. He plugged it up and turned it on, as "You Get What You Give" started to come on.

Arizou sat down on the steps of his RV with a notebook in his hand. He listened to the music and started to draw. He sat there for nearly an hour drawing. When he had finished, he had a beautiful portrait of a waterfall, flowers surrounding the base. Arizou took his picture inside and hung it up with the rest.

Nearly one hundred drawings and paintings covers Arizou's bedroom wall. He was a spectacular artist but his talent had not been realized because he believed as "hippies" do. He hung out with them, where he felt free, though he'd never touched any of their drugs.

Arizou found freedom, true freedom, in his drawings. He drew of places, paradises, that were a little too far from reach. He pulled some plant food out of the cabinet and walked out. After feeding the plants he turned off his radio and took it inside. He sat down in the driver's seat and fell asleep.

* * *

Arizou woke up, laying in a loose, long-sleeved black shirt and loose black pants in the middle of a jungle. He heard water rushing in the distance. He sat up and yawned. The scents of a rainforest filled his nose. Various arrays of flowers and plants, growing happily in their home, colored the world around him. He stood up and stretched.

Somehow, he felt as though he knew where he was. He walked towards the sound of the running water. Within a matter of minutes he came to a clearing in the bright green jungle. He saw a magnificent waterfall, pouring water into a lake below it. The waterfall must have been four stories high. Its water beat down on the previously over-thrown water hard, like a sledgehammer.

The grass laced in between Arizou's toes was soft around the lake, well nourished by the constant water supply. A few bright orange flowers grew beautifully up close to the waterfall. Arizou decided to get a closer look.

He stepped out into the clear water; it was cool to the touch. After a few moments, he got used to it so he swam over close to the waterfall. He stood up once he reached it. He could barely stand at this point. The bottom of the lake seemed so far away though it was once so close. The current of the flowing water near the waterfall was undoubtedly strong enough to push most men over.

Arizou climbed up onto the rocks beside the water. He reached up and touched the flower. It was soft, like baby's skin. Its petals caressed Arizou's hand like a lover would. Arizou smiled. This was a true beauty. He wondered what he should name it.

* * *

"Arizou! Wake up!"

Arizou shook his head and opened his eyes. Sitting in the passenger seat beside him was the young boy from earlier.

"My dad told me to bring you anyway, he really wants to see more of—"

Arizou stood up and walked to the back, completely blocking out the kid. He picked up a pen and a paper and started to draw. In the distant background, he barely heard the young boy yelling at him to pay attention.

After about seven minutes, Arizou lifted his head and laid the paper on his bed. He stood up and smiled.

"Okay well let's go then," Arizou said, before walking out of the small RV.

The boy started to follow then stopped and looked at the paper on Arizou's bed. His jaw dropped as he lifted it up. It was a flower, with ten times the simple beauty of a rose. On the top of the page, there was a scribbled word. The boy looked closely at it and read it aloud, to himself.

-Skaists-


	5. Nyx

_**Modern Day Growing Pains**_

_By: Rèîán§hitsü_

_**Hey again, okay so a little update on this series. Once I have finished the chapters for my own characters I will also be doing chapters on specific couples with my characters. I will also be doing chapters on other people's characters (if they let me). I have permission from one person already so I will definitely be doing those characters after mine. So I hope you enjoy this chapter and the chapters to come.**_

* * *

Nyx

Nyx Blauvelt was sitting on a bench in the girl's locker room, putting on her tennis shoes. When she had finished she stood up and shut her locker. She turned to walk outside when two girls walked up to her. She rolled her eyes, knowing exactly who they were and what they were here for.

"Hey princess," one girl mockingly said.

"Don't start this again," Nyx warned.

"Start what?" The other girl pretended to be shocked as she lightly touched her lips with painted nails.

Nyx started to walk past them when one of the girls reached out and grabbed Nyx's hair. Nyx stopped and looked at them.

"Let me go," Nyx stated plainly, a serious look in her eyes.

The girl holding her looked at her friend and nodded, as her friend pulled out a pair of scissors.

"Oh but we're just gonna cut off this fake hair," the girl smirked as she talked.

A moment later the girl holding her fell back against the lockers and the other girl hit the ground. Both of their cheeks were red from being slapped; their eyes started to tear up. Nyx was walking out when she heard the principal call her name.

"Darn it," Nyx whispered to herself.

* * *

Nyx walked into the principal's office as the school bell rang in the background and the sound of running students filled the hall outside. Already sitting in front of the desk was Vallen, Nyx's best friend. He was sitting slumped over with his arms crossed over his chest. Nyx walked over to the other chair and sat down. She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, giving the principal a cold stare.

"Care to explain why you two keep getting into fights?" The principal paused. "Or how you both manage to slap someone in two separate locker rooms at the same time?" He added.

Both Nyx and Vallen sat there quietly, giving a mean look at the principal like they didn't care.

"Why can't you tw-" The principal was interrupted by a knock on the door. He looked up and sighed. "Come in," he ushered.

Just then a young red-haired boy walked in holding some papers.

"Can I help you Yevgeny?" The principal asked.

Yevgeny started with his normal 'forgive my intrusion' then stated a list of rights belonging to both Nyx and Vallen. Then he told of instances where more popular and older kids had gotten into more fights, some much worse then a simple slap on the cheek. The principal sat there watching the clock, and after about five minutes, he stopped Yevgeny.

"Can you get to your point Yevgeny?" He asked.

"My point is simply that you have no right to do anything to these students and neglect the other popular student's behavior," Yevgeny paused. "Like your son's."

The principal gave him a deadly look before dismissing them all.

After leaving the principal's office, the trio walked out to the track.

"I can't believe you pulled that off Yevgeny," Nyx exclaimed, excited to be away from the ignorant principal.

"Listen you two, I'm not getting you out of anymore trouble," Yevgeny said.

"They were gonna cut my hair!" Nyx defended herself quickly.

Vallen was quietly thinking of how to kill Yevgeny for being the 'hero' as he walked on the other side of Nyx.

"They had scissors! Yevgeny you don't get it, those girls hate me cause they think my hair is fake," Nyx added. "Besides, they're full of themselves anyway."

"Nyx, everyone but us in this school is full of their self. But can we do anything about it? No, not a thing." Yevgeny stated, after having his own run in that day with some seniors.

"Well maybe if you'd stop dying your hair red you wouldn't have that problem," Vallen conceitedly said.

"I don't dye my hair! Look, just cause you don't believe someone can have this red of hair from birth doesn't mean it's true," Yevgeny replied.

Nyx stopped walking and looked between them. "Sometimes I have to wonder if you two are just like everyone else in this school."

Vallen looked at Yevgeny, completely ignoring Nyx. "You didn't have to do that back their, I didn't need your help."

"I wasn't helping you I was helping Nyx," Yevgeny looked at Vallen.

"You said students, meaning two, you were being all high-and-mighty again," Vallen argued.

"I was not! Just cause I'm smarter then you doesn't make me high-and-mighty," Yevgeny defended.

"You were trying to be the hero again, well guess what! I don't want your help," Vallen stepped around Nyx.

"I'll remember that and next time I'll tell the principal to let Nyx go but you're jail-worthy!" Yevgeny replied, stepping around Nyx to face Vallen.

Nyx reached out and put her hands on both the boy's foreheads.

"Now listen you two, let's not get into another fight," she reasoned with them. "Please?"

The two boys looked at her.

"Whatever," Vallen said before walking off.

Nyx and Yevgeny watched him leave until he was out of sight. Nyx sighed and looked at Yevgeny.

"Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she said before walking off straight ahead, towards the near by neighborhood she lived in.

"Uhm Nyx," Yevgeny started.

She stopped and looked back at him.

"… No, it's nothing, Nevermind."

She started to say something then decided not to. She took off running toward home.


	6. Uzrts

_**Modern Day Growing Pains**_

_By: Rèîán§hitsü_

Ukiah Zavalla Riviera Tahoka Siskiyou

Ukiah opened his eyes as a headache overwhelmed him. He slowly sat up in his bed and looked to the clock across the room from him. 3:27 am.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Ukiah mumbled to himself before getting up and walking over to a desk by a window.

He glanced at the light tan curtain covering the window, which anyone could see through. He turned on the light on the desk and opened a drawer. After digging around in it for a little, he pulled out a bottle of medicine and took a couple pills. He flipped the light back off and sat down on his bed. He sat there for a while just thinking until the pain reliever started to kick in, then he laid back down and fell asleep.

Time flew by like birds and before he knew it, his alarm was going off. Ukiah again got up out of bed, this time to turn off the alarm clock. Six am was already here, much too soon in Ukiah's opinion. He looked over at the curtains, where the light shown inside the room much brighter then it did outside. He shook his head then got dressed.

Ukiah got out of his class about 9am, after listening to two hours of complete nonsense. The professor had even said this would not be on the test. So why on earth was he rambling on about it? Ukiah walked back to his room and sat his bag down beside the desk. He looked at the clock again. 9:13 am.

He still had almost four hours before his next class. He sighed and sat down in the chair close to the desk. Studying law was more painful then he was told. Ukiah started to think back on how he ever got started in this mess. Why he let a friend from high school convince him that getting into law school was a good idea, that they'd do it together. Ukiah looked at a picture on his desk in a black, plastic frame. Inside was a picture of that friend, the one who had convinced him to do this.

Last year, around this time, Ukiah's friend was in a horrible car accident. He'd actually survived for about a week after the accident, but constant internal bleeding whenever he did the slightest thing, rendered him dead on the ninth day after the crash. Before he died, he convinced Ukiah to continue on in law school and to get his degree. That now Ukiah would have to succeed in it for him. Ever since then, Ukiah had sort of taken his friend's place.

Ukiah thought about his friend for a little longer then wondered about going back to sleep. Instead, when the idea came to leave campus for a little while, Ukiah decided that it was best. Perhaps leaving would clear his head. So Ukiah got up from the chair and left his room, lost in thought and hoping to clear his mind. He walked into town and past dozens upon dozens of people, none of which looked at him much less spoke.

Ukiah started to notice these little things and soon his mind went from his late friend to society and how people block out everyone and everything they want to. People were so ignorant and stupid. Ukiah almost hated this place, sometimes he knew he did. There was never anything good here, only foolish people that only have money and working as little as possibly to get it on their minds.

He wondered if any of these people cared about their families or friends, if they even knew how fragile human life was and how easy it is to loose it. That most of the people who walked right beside him would never see him again. That some of the people he saw that day would die during this day. He wondered if anyone would mourn their death, or if everyone would continue walking by to work, not caring in the least and forgetting the late individual completely. Unless, of course, he was a rich son of a gun who everyone admired, then everyone would fall into a three-week depression that could only be temporarily helped by shoving anti-depressants down your throat every four hours.

Ukiah's thoughts were immediately interrupted when someone caught his eye in the park across the street. Someone different from everyone else, someone who was smiling and saying hi to everyone who passed him. Someone who was standing behind an art easel with a genuine smile on his face, though with the way it never faded it almost looked glued. Ukiah hesitated then walked over to the young man, stopping just in front of the easel.

"What are you doing?" Ukiah asked plainly.

The man looked up at him and smiled, "Painting."

"I meant with the grin and the greetings," Ukiah commented.

"I'm just being social," the young man answered. "My name's Arizou Niklavs, do you have a name?"

"Yes but it's long," Ukiah replied, crossing his arms wondering how Arizou could hold a smile on his face this long.

"Try me," Arizou tilted his head to one side before looking back at his painting.

"…Ukiah Zavalla Riviera Tahoka Siskiyou."

Arizou stopped and glanced back up at Ukiah, before softly laughing.

"What do you want me to call you?"

"Ukiah Zavalla Riviera Tahoka Siskiyou," Ukiah answered.

"Hmm… how about Ukiah?" Arizou asked.

"No," Ukiah replied quickly.

"…. Ukiah Z.R.T.S. then," Arizou watched Ukiah's face, waiting for approval.

"Fine…" Ukiah muttered slowly.

Arizou went back to his painting, still with a smile across his face. After about twenty minutes, Ukiah shook his head and started to walk off.

"Hey wait," Arizou called, stopping Ukiah in his tracks. "Come here."

Ukiah looked at him a moment then walked over to his side.

"Whataya think?" Arizou looked at Ukiah then at the painting.

Ukiah looked at the painting, eyes slightly widening. It was a picture of the street, with people walking by all wrapped up in their life. One man was standing in the middle of the street watching everyone solemnly, behind him was a translucent individual, almost like an angel without wings. The man standing and watching was Ukiah and the ghost behind him looked exactly like Ukiah's late friend.

Ukiah looked across the street at where he was standing then glanced at Arizou.

"Who's behind me?" Ukiah asked slightly unsettled.

"An angel probably," Arizou shrugged. "I don't know I just felt like you needed someone to back you up, and this face popped into my head."

"It's no one you know?" Ukiah watched Arizou completely confused.

"Nope," Arizou shook his head. "Do you know him?"

Ukiah glanced back at the picture, "Yeah… we used to be friends…"

"Used to?" Arizou questioned.

"He died last year."

Arizou looked down the smile finally gone from his face, "I'm sorry…" He paused, looking back at Ukiah. "Keep the picture."

"What?" Ukiah asked almost rhetorically.

"Keep the picture, it's yours… hang it up or throw it away," Arizou smiled again. "It was nice meeting you Ukiah Z.R.T.S." Arizou said, slightly bowing then walking off. Ukiah started to call for him to wait but shut his mouth instead.

He glanced at the painting, especially looking at his late friend behind him. He looked up away from the picture and saw the translucent ghost standing on the other side of the easel.

The ghost seemed to smile and point in the distance before fading away completely. Ukiah didn't move for a few moments, wondering what just happened if he was imagining all this or if some divine presence was with him. After a few seconds of silence, the noises in the background reached Ukiah's ears and woke him back up. He looked the way his late friend had pointed, straight toward Arizou walking away in the distance.

"Hey wait!" Ukiah called, stopping Arizou in his tracks. Arizou looked over his shoulder at Ukiah and smiled.


	7. Taliesin

_**Modern Day Growing Pains**_

_By: Rèîán§hitsü_

_**Okay so this is the next chapter, sorry I just kinda disappeared on this series for a while. Hopefully I'll stick with it this time more, at least so I can get the rest of my characters done. Then I get to start on my friend's characters, which should be entertaining. I hope I don't ruin them completely. Then the ones I'm excited for, the couples. I really can't wait to get to those.**_

Characters Used: Taliesin Devereux, Demetri Sevastionich Aleksandrov

Characters Referenced: Sevastion Aleksandrov (Demetri's father)

* * *

Taliesin

Taliesin twirled around and put his hands together, clapping to a fast Cajun song titled Lafayette Breakdown. A few other kids who had ditched school with him were around him in an alley between two run down brick buildings. No other boy in the school he went to would even think about dancing in the street, much less would they have courage to.

Taliesin thought it was a little ridiculous but he had learned not to care if other people held themselves back for whatever reasons they had. Most of the kids he knew depending on what gender they were refused to do certain things. Taliesin thought they were only hurting themselves by not allowing themselves to have fun in the way they want just because others are watching.

Taliesin would sing and dance at his pleasure, he didn't care who was around or who thought only girls could sing and dance. He didn't sing as much as he danced though, since most of the music he knew had no words. He lived in a part of Louisiana where the Cajun music is either slow or fast but rarely has words, and if it does it's the slow songs that do. Taliesin never really liked slow music.

"What the hell is going on?" Someone called from down the alley. Taliesin stopped dancing and looked that way as the other boys around him did.

One of the teachers in the school they went to was standing there, with her hands on her hips and a very annoyed look on her face. She was also one of the people who only thought singing and dancing was for girls. She claimed that "men" should be learning how to take care of a woman, not being one. She and Taliesin got into a lot of arguments. She also happened to be the English teacher.

"Get back to school, right now!" She barked orders as all the boys took off back down the street toward school, every boy except Taliesin.

"Taliesin, go!"

"Ya be havin' a fuss wit me dancin' again?" Taliesin laughed softly.

"You are the worst student in school I know of! All you want to do is dance!" The teacher paused, before walking toward Taliesin. "You can't even speak English!"

"Je sais," Taliesin laughed. "Je parle français. Et vous ? "

"You're French is messed up too you little brat! Get to school you're not skipping English class again," the teacher commanded.

"Why you be hatin' Tali so much? It only be adults in school that dislike him," Taliesin commented.

"That's what you think! Half the kids in school think you're pathetically worthless," the teacher sneered. "If I have to tell you to get to school again—"

Just then, someone in black jeans and a brick red shirt walked by the teacher straight to Taliesin, interrupting her death threats. He had long black hair on one side of his head, but the other side was cut short. When he'd first come to the school all the teachers liked him since he was one of (if not the most) intelligent kids there. Then he'd made friends with Taliesin, and the teachers instantly hated him for being "stupid enough to be Taliesin's friend."

The boy grabbed Taliesin under his shoulder and started pulling him back to school.

"Demetri! Never imagined ya'd skip class for me," Taliesin exclaimed.

The teacher watched them exit the alleyway, sneering at Taliesin and partially at Demetri.

"You have got to stop skipping class!" Demetri scolded his friend, talking with his normal accent, a heavy Russian one. Since he'd come to live in America everyone had told him to ditch the accent, Taliesin was the first person who told him that he should speak with his accent since it was part of him. Even Demetri's father had tried to work the accents they had out.

"Ya didn't have to come and be getting' me," Taliesin told him.

"Those teachers are going to murder you if you keep this up Devereux," Demetri stopped and looked at him, standing on the school grounds.

"I be havin' no use for the junk they be spittin' out in class," Taliesin replied.

"What good do you think it does me? None whatsoever," Demetri paused, sighing, and letting Taliesin's arm go. "Look, you're their main target because of how you talk and what you want to do, don't give them the pleasure of using that against you…"

"Why ya care so much of me?" Taliesin asked.

"Devereux, you're smart but you don't act it," Demetri watched him. "You're here a year early for goodness sake! You're Cajun, you've lived here all your life and you talk like you're uneducated, you like to dream and dance… These are all things people here are gonna attack you for."

"Demetri…"

Demetri slapped Taliesin hard enough to force Taliesin's head to the side, but not as hard as he could've.

"Demetri Sevastionich," Demetri corrected him.

Taliesin slightly laughed, looking back at his Russian friend, "Demetri Sevastionich, all those things are why I'm going to graduate from here and show them all off."

"Why can't you talk like that all the time?"

"'Cause, it not be me," Taliesin smiled. "Ain't nobody gonna force me to be somebody they be wantin' from me. That be what they doin' to ya, makin' ya talk like ya not be Russian, somebody else then who ya are."

Demetri sighed and pushed his hair out of his face, "Come on or we'll both be in detention again."

Demetri and Taliesin walked back inside the school building and Demetri left Taliesin to go back to his class, Demetri was a grade ahead of Taliesin so most of the time he couldn't be around to get Taliesin out of trouble. But every chance he got, Demetri did what he could to either take the blame or turn it around so Taliesin seemed to be doing something legal by the principal's standards, or as always, distract the authority by rambling in Russian and getting himself in trouble for that so they forget about Taliesin.

Taliesin got on back to the class he could catch half of, getting a sarcastic welcome from the teacher when he walked in. Taliesin only turned around and thanked him like he didn't care about the sarcasm. He sat down in a desk near the back and took notes on what he could, though no one but himself could ever read his handwriting either.


	8. Nozomu

_**Modern Day Growing Pains**_

_By: Rèîán§hitsü_

Nozomu

A young black-haired woman walked across a parking lot, toward a group of thugs who had jumped a man going to his car. She was a senior in high school with dreamy blue eyes. She typically skipped classes, not caring much about the information they taught. When she reached the thugs they let the man on the ground go and a couple attacked her.

The woman punched one of the thugs in the face then spun around and kicked the other in the stomach. She grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head against the other man, knocking them both off their feet. The other three thugs lunged at her but she only beat the crap out of them. When she knocked all the men out, she noticed someone in the corner of her eyes, someone walking down the sidewalk. A man she'd been following for several weeks.

Nozomu walked past the parking lot not even looking over despite the ruckus. He never really paid attention to things unless they had some meaning to them. He would be a senior in high school if he hadn't dropped out in middle school. He stopped caring about learning a while back before his mother died. He had oddly white colored hair with a grey streak near the side; because of this the majority of people in school had mocked him. Any of those people who only called him things he didn't care about were only to be surprised at most of the others that mocked him, calling him things that did bother him, to be found in the hospital nearly ending up in a casket.

Kusari jogged over to the sidewalk catching up to Nozomu. She followed him for a while, only watching him. Nozomu ignored Kusari until about forty minutes had passed, then he stopped and turned to face the woman.

"What the heck do you want?" Nozomu sneered.

"I don't want anything," Kusari answered.

"Then stop following me wretch," Nozomu commanded, having a habit of never calling anyone by name.

"Mmm no," Kusari refused. "I'm following you."

"Why?" Nozomu growled slightly as he spoke.

"Because I'd like to know what you do, seeing as how you're not in school and you have no job," Kusari said.

Nozomu rolled his eyes and kept walking, at a quicker pace then he was before. He tried to come up with a plan to get away from Kusari but eventually gave up and went back to ignoring her as if she were a pest.

Nozomu walked outside of the city and into a forested area. Kusari followed, wondering what was in the boy's head. Nozomu got deep into the forest then stopped and took out a gun. Kusari's eyes widened a moment then her face read confusion when Nozomu started walking again, hiding in the bushes not far away.

Kusari snuck over beside him and crouched down. She watched him for a bit as he stared into the distance, waiting for something to come. Kusari watched and waited, after a few minutes passed Kusari saw an animal come out into an opening between two trees across from the bush. Nozomu shot the animal in two of its legs, rendering it immotile.

Nozomu got out from the bush and walked over to the animal as it writhed trying to get away. Nozomu kneeled beside it after pulling out a knife. Kusari slowly stood up and walked a little closer to Nozomu.

"If you're that good a shot why didn't you kill it?" Kusari questioned.

Nozomu looked at her, "Killing with a gun makes me feel like a coward," Nozomu informed her before stabbing the animal and listening to its screams for help.

Kusari shut her eyes and looked away, staying that way until the animal went silent. Nozomu slit it open and spilled its blood across the ground, along with its organs. He skinned it and put the meat into a bag he'd brought along with him. Kusari slowly opened her eyes and watched as Nozomu put the meat in the bag.

Nozomu broke some of the bones up, putting a few of them in the bag as well, including the skull.

"What's the purpose of keeping the bones…?" Kusari softly asked.

"A trophy," Nozomu replied, closing the bag and standing up. He started walking off, leaving the skin and organs there on the ground all torn up.

Kusari looked at the remains of the carcass a moment longer then followed Nozomu back outta the forest. She followed him along the border of town and wilderness until she saw a run down barn in the distance from a farm that had been abandoned. The rest of the buildings had been broken down for various reasons. Nozomu walked straight into the barn where he dropped the bag then walked over to a tub of brownish water where he cleaned off his knife.

Kusari hesitated, standing in front of the door a little worried to go in. When she plucked up the courage she stepped inside and instantly stopped as her eyes widened. Looking around the room she counted over a hundred skulls, she lost count somewhere around 135, but it looked like there could be close to 200.

There was no floor in the barn and the dirt under it had several places where it appeared to have been dug up by hands.

"What… what have you been doing…" Kusari whispered, her breath caught in her throat.

"Surviving," Nozomu replied, rolling his eyes. "I've lived here since I left that whore's house."

Kusari blinked a few times, trying to figure out who Nozomu meant, "What about your parents?" She asked after a little.

"Didn't I just tell you? That stupid filthy animal left before I was born and a whore who couldn't even get a grip on reality raised me until I ran away." Nozomu answered, putting his knife back up.

Kusari watched the young man walk back over to her and stared right at her.

"I think you've learned enough, so get out," Nozomu said.

"My parents are dead you know," Kusari took a step back. "And I'm not scared of you or what you can do."

"Do I look like I care?" Nozomu rhetorically asked.

"Tsk," Kusari scoffed. "I'm not leaving."

Nozomu pushed Kusari's shoulder back with a fair amount of force, but nothing close to what he could. Nozomu was threatening her, but she only took it as a challenge. Kusari smirked, daring him to hit her again. Nozomu complied.


	9. Raidne

_**Modern Day Growing Pains**_

_By: Rèîán§hitsü_

Raidne

"Attention!" A general called to the teenagers in his boot camp.

Raidne lined up at the end of a line full of teenage boys her age, and stood at attention as the general walked by her. She didn't like it here, she always felt nervous like something was going to happen to her. She had been in the boot camp for a year now, since she was sixteen. She ran away from home to find herself living on the streets for several years until one of the generals had found her on his rounds and stuck her in this camp.

There were only three girls here and the other two stuck close to each other and pretty much outlawed Raidne. They treated her badly, probably as bad as the guys around there did. Supposedly, they had been raped though Raidne wasn't sure if she believed them. Whether or not they had, they got special treatment and breaks from the higher ups. Raidne believed that even if they had been raped, they were soldiers and should handle it as such, not use it as an excuse to get out of everything they didn't want to be in and receive whatever treatment they wanted.

The general finished walking down the line of teenagers (all boys and one girl since the other girls were in their rooms) and went on to tell them they were going for a jog in the woods. After barking a few more orders at them they were all sent to get their bags so they could leave in ten minutes. They were to jog up the side of a mountain to a section of the woods were then they would have to find four green flags and bring them back, everyone had to come back no one could be left behind. In addition, they only had three hours to do this; the jog to get there took 40 minutes roughly, so they only had a little more then an hour and a half to find the four hidden flags.

If, of course, this wasn't completed or the exact demands weren't met, there would be a penalty, though the general didn't specify the penalty. Raidne suspected it would probably be no sleep or no food for a day, maybe some more intense then usual exercise or any combination thereof.

Raidne went back to her room and grabbed her bag, getting interrupted by the other two women in there. They mocked her for having her hair cut short while they had theirs to their shoulders. They made some mean comments to her before she just left without speaking a word. When the rest of the group of teenage boys met up with her at the beginning of the trail, the whistle was blown and they all took off into the forest.

Nearly half the trip up the other soldiers made comments to Raidne. Some of them made comments on raping her, tying her to a tree and taking turns while the others looked for the flags. The rest of the guys made comments on her being in the military, a place she shouldn't be. They claimed she didn't belong in a place like this, that she should be in town in school or working a normal 'woman' job. By the time they got to the area where the flags were hidden Raidne was ready to shoot them all.

One of the boys came up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. Raidne turned around and punched his face then his gut, kicking his side immediately after. The boy stepped back revolted as the others switched their attention between the boy and Raidne for a few moments.

"Find the darn flags!" Raidne shouted, annoyed beyond belief.

Unfortunately, the teenage boys were pissed off now because Raidne had hit one of them and shouted an order. A few of them grabbed her and despite her struggling, they over powered her, being physically stronger and in greater number.

At first they were just mad and tying her up to a tree. When they got her tied the boy she'd hit walked up to her and punched her stomach hard. Raidne coughed up blood as the boy hit her several times. After about six hits, he stepped back and wiped his fist off on his shirt. The other guys around had been laughing or smirking during this time but after the guy had stepped back a thought came to them.

Raidne's arms and legs were tied behind a tree and her mouth was gagged and tied to the same tree. The tree wasn't one of the bigger ones so that was why her arms and legs could fit all the way around it then be tied. The boys split up into two groups, the ones who just didn't like Raidne in the military went to look for the flags while the others started undressing. One of the boys went up to her and unbuttoned her pants.

All of them instantly froze when a snake slithered down the tree and onto Raidne's shoulder. It was a medium sized snake but a very poisonous one. Raidne stopped breathing for a moment in time. Another snake slithered up around Raidne's feet, a very large black one. It hissed at the boys, raring its fangs and all the guys grabbed their clothes in a hurry and took off after the other group of boys.

Raidne shut her eyes wondering what was going to happen to her. She heard someone walk up beside her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a young man picking the snake off her shoulder. It slithered around his neck and onto his shoulder. He whispered in what sounded like Arabic to the snake at her feet which then slithered away from her. He walked around the tree and untied her wrists and ankles, then removed the gag in her mouth and around her head.

Raidne coughed a bit, trying to keep her eyes on the young man but they kept closing.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked.

When Raidne's coughing calmed down she returned her eyes to the boy.

"Are you alright?" He asked again.

"Y-yes…" Raidne's eyes drifted to the snake whose tail was around his neck.

"What are you doing out here with all those boys?" The young man asked.

"I live in a boot camp with them and we were sent to find four green flags…" Raidne hesitatingly said, feeling incredibly uneasy about going back to the camp now.

"You shouldn't hang around with them…"

"I know…" Raidne paused. "Who are you?"

"My name is Moriah Caphtorim, what's yours?" Moriah replied.

"Raidne… Kalevi…" Raidne answered. "What is it with the snakes?"

"They're my family," Moriah commented, running his fingers across the snake on his shoulder's head. "I can understand them and they listen to me, it's almost like they understand what I'm saying but it's probably my behavior, that's how I understand them."

Raidne slightly nodded a bit, barely following mostly because she was still in shock.

"I heard shouting… I live in these woods with the snakes… So I came to check it out and saw those boys undressing and you tied to the tree… So I told them to come scare the boys away," Moriah said.

"Oh… thank you…" Raidne spoke softly before glancing at the snake again.

Moriah smiled at her, "They're not that bad you know?"

Raidne looked back at Moriah.

"They live, they love, and they die… just like us," Moriah commented.

"Snakes can love?" Raidne questioned in disbelief.

Moriah smiled more, looking at the snake on his shoulder, "Well if this one didn't have some bond with me, it would've scurried off in fear or bit me in retaliation." He returned his gaze to the young woman standing in front of him.

"She loves me and I love her… Is it that hard to believe?"


	10. Drako and Darecry

_**Modern Day Growing Pains**_

_By: Rèîán§hitsü_

_**I hope you've all been enjoying this series thus far! I know I have been. Crazy thing is that I've started two other series while taking a break from this one. One of them could be limitless… So now I'm almost anxious to finish this one up. Still not quite sure where it ends though. All I know is there's a list of individual characters I want to write a chapter for, then I will pick certain couples that stand out in my library to write a chapter on. I'm not sure if I should end it with a chapter involving everyone or just the last couple on the list… What do you think?**_

_**Anyway, the list of characters to write a chapter for includes some of my girlfriend's characters, and this story is the first for one.. well two of her characters. So these characters don't belong to me! But no worries, I have permission to use them. I hope I don't mess them up too bad, I'll try to stay as best I can to their personality. I suppose I'll stop rambling on now and get to the chapter! Enjoy!**_

Characters Used: Drako Vam-Peir, Darecry Vam-Peir

* * *

Drako and Darecry

Darecry sat on the window seal of the principal's office, waiting for him to come back from the restrooms. Darecry knew this room better then the rest of the school since he practically spent all his time there. He wasn't the only one.

Drako, Darecry's twin brother, spent most of the time there as well. The two seemed to be perfectly good targets for fighting in the school. The teachers and principal said it was because of their attitudes, but both boys knew better. The real reason was because of their unnatural hair color and for Darecry, his strangely vibrant green eyes.

When the principal returned, he started with his normal command at Darecry to get off the window seal and shut it before the wind blows everything off his desk. After Darecry finished the starting ritual, the principal went on to give the typical lecture he gave the Vam-Peir twins almost everyday. As usual, it went in one ear and out the other. It really didn't matter what the boys did, they'd still be the ones in trouble.

The cliché story is popular kid starts fight with outcast, when outcast fights back not having much choice, teacher shows up and puts all the blame on outcast. Right? Well in Drako's case, yes. Drako fought back and always got all the blame for the fight though he rarely started it. Darecry on the other hand was a completely different story.

Darecry never fought back. He took the beatings from the jocks or whoever else decided they hated purple. He was better at fighting then his brother, but refused to give whatever loser picked on him the time of day. Surprisingly, he still got the blame! Darecry probably got more blame then Drako, and Darecry was the one not fighting back. Things were really screwy in this school and both of the boys couldn't wait to leave.

They were seniors and as soon as they graduated they were both leaving this God-forsaken town and its wretched school. Drako and Darecry fought with each other quite often when they were at home, rarely agreeing on anything. Leaving the town however, was one thing the brothers had adamantly set in stone. All they had to do was last a little while longer, a few more months in fact, until the school year was over and they graduated. Then they'd be gone without a trace.

Darecry knew where he was going. He was going straight to northern Japan, where the scenery constantly changed but the solitude and air of peace remained the same. There were several stories from there of strange natural occurrences. Darecry hoped to see his fair share of supernatural events once he got there.

Drako planned to get into the military as soon as he graduated. From there he would travel around to several places so he couldn't go wrong right? It really didn't matter where he went, as long as he was away from his miserable little home town. Other then that he didn't much care if he went to Asia, Africa or South America.

The principal dismissed the boys and they abruptly left, without a word to their superior. Neither Drako nor Darecry said a word to each other as they left the school grounds. They drove home in separate cars, but instead of heading straight home, Darecry stopped off at the one place in the whole town he could think straight.

Darecry parked his car by the side of the road and got out, walking past some trees to a beach. It was a somewhat dismal scene to be honest, the sky was grey and cloudy and the water was choppy. It was a smaller body of water and not but a handful of the people who lived there knew about it, since it was surrounded by trees on every side, completely hidden from the world. It wasn't really the trees or the water that Darecry fancied though, it was the sand.

Darecry walked out toward the water a bit, then sat down in the sand. He shut his eyes and sighed, considering how much longer he would have to wait before he could leave. He really didn't want to go home for he and Drako would most certainly fight again. Darecry loved his brother and really didn't want to continually fight like they did. Darecry sat there and let the sound of the water clashing against itself fill his ears as thoughts swam in his mind of patience and perseverance.

Drako sat in his car in front of the house he lived in. He had gotten there almost a half hour ago but wasn't quite ready to go in. His mind was thrashing with reasons to leave. He hated it here and had every good reason to leave. So why did he stay? Drako searched for answers as he listened to the wind hit against his car door. The wind had steadily been growing stronger all throughout the day and most assumed it was a warning of the storm supposed to be there that night.

A couple hours went by before Drako got out of his car, the sky was getting really dark now as the sun set behind a thick layer of colorless clouds. The end of this day seemed to have all the life sucked out of it. Darecry had just gotten home from the hidden beach where he'd been dozing over the past hours. The two silently went inside though the silence didn't last much longer then that. Their mother almost instantly starting griping at them when transitioned into Darecry and Drako arguing then fighting with each other and them both locking themselves in their rooms.

Drako hated his brother's apathetic outlook on fights with others and Darecry's tendency to just give in and take what he must to survive. Drako was an over-comer and his brother was simply a survivor. It bothered Drako more then he could admit easily, but Darecry had his own reasons for how he was.

The long awaited graduation day had finally come and gone and neither of the Vam-Peir twins could explain how happy they were. Darecry was leaving for Japan and Drako was fixing to leave for the Middle East, to a military camp he planned to spend a while at. Darecry was thrilled he was finally getting away from the miserable place he'd spent too many years of his life in. Drako was ecstatic he was getting away from his brother and the rest of the pathetic morons he grew up around.

The two exchanged a short goodbye before parting ways, neither pausing to add anymore, neither waving to an old jock who fought with them, neither looking back. They were about to be free, and there was no hesitation in accepting this opportunity.


End file.
